Cervantes & Compañía

In this book of essays that at times points out essential details, and at times details them, runs over them, and returns to give us a full view of of two great literary constructions, Ignacio Padilla invites us to reevaluate the chief contributions of William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes. Addressing five rare angles, one of the best Mexican writers of the “Crack” generation studies with passion, knowledge, and an enormous sense of humor, where we would be if we dared to compare the significance of two works so monumental and nourishing, line by line.  What can we conclude from the strategy that these authors used to construct their characters, and which of these techniques prevail in our time, molding even popular culture? Which of their themes or situations are still valid and full of life in contemporary reality? To what extent is our idea of a novel and a drama, of love and idealism, of freedom and art, determined by the footprint of both writers? And still more: to what extent have we reduced our knowledge of both books to a cliché, essential for properly understanding humanity? Making emphasis on his devotion to Cervantes, to whom he dedicates the majority of the essays in this book, and addresses equally first-time readers as narrators and as experienced professionals, Ignacio Padilla invites us to reread the work of two fundamental authors and to consider how much we would be missing if we lost contact with them.